The balloon flower has more than earned its name through the shape of its buds, while the open blossoms of the Chinese bluebells, as this plant is also called, no longer remind of it. Unfortunately, it is not very easy to care for.

In summer, balloon flowers need to be watered regularly

The best location and the right soil

The balloon flower only blooms beautifully if it gets at least three hours of sunlight a day. Your location should therefore be warm and sunny or partially shaded, depending on the color of the flowers. Also protect the balloon flower from the pouring rain and cold wind.

Choose the site carefully to avoid later transplanting. The soil should be well drained so that waterlogging does not occur later. If necessary, mix some sand under the potting soil to prevent compaction. The balloon flower also tolerates calcareous soil.

Plant balloon flowers

The balloon flower gets relatively long taproots, so you should dig the planting hole quite deep or use deep planters. Add some organic fertilizer such as well-rotted compost or horn shavings (£30.00), plant, fill in soil and water the roots well. The best planting time is spring. The distance should be about 30 cm depending on the size of the plants.

Water and fertilize balloon flowers

Water the balloon flower plentifully after planting and regularly in spring and summer. The soil should only dry out slightly in between, but not dry out. Balloon flowers have quite high nutritional requirements. Therefore, they should be fertilized regularly in the planter. Horn shavings or compost are sufficient outdoors in spring and after flowering.

The balloon flower in winter

The balloon flower is hardy and tolerates frost down to around -15 °C. So it survives a normal winter without any special measures. However, young perennials should be protected from severe frost with a layer of leaves, compost or brushwood. Balloon flowers in planters also need frost protection, as the root ball can easily freeze here.

The most important care tips for balloon flowers:

  • Location: Sun or semi-shade
  • protect from cold wind and heavy rain
  • permeable soil
  • Avoid waterlogging
  • fertilize a little in spring and autumn
  • winterized

tips

The color of the balloon flowers changes due to the sunlight.

Category:

Vegetable garden